More Like A River
by Blue.Rose.Marcella
Summary: Jack is involved in an accident, bringing the family together to pray for his survival. Fi, however, avoids the realization of Jack's condition...Until she talks with someone who forces her to face reality...


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More Like A River

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_**A/N:** Hey, guys. This occurred to me on a whim; I was reading some So Weird fan fiction and decided to try one of my own. This is my first attempt at a So Weird fiction, so please be kind. I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.  
**Summary:** Jack is involved in an accident, bringing the family together to pray for his survival. Fi, however, avoids the realization of Jack's condition...Until she talks with someone who forces her to face reality...  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters. They belong to Disney and the writers.  
**Claimer:** I own the plot.  
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~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~ 

_I gotta be  
More like a river  
Less like a wall  
Don't try to hold back  
These feelings at all  
'Cause when I miss you  
When I'm dying to kiss you  
I gotta let that flow  
More like a river... _

~"More Like A River" - Molly Phillips 

~*~...*~*...~*~...*~*...~*~ 

Sheets of rain pattered against the smooth glass of the hospital windows, blurring any chance of potential vision to the outside of the building. It was positively pouring outside, puddles forming in any area possible. Even the drains along the sides of the busy main street in Hope Springs were clogged with leaves and mud, disallowing the streets to prevent flooding. Cars cautiously drove through the water; fearful of the dreaded hydroplane their vehicles could endure.  


Hydroplane. The very word that struck the tears up repeatedly in Fiona Phillips's soft brown eyes as she recalled the very reason she was seated in this waiting room of the hospital. Scooting her chair closer to the window and curling her arms around her legs in a childish self-embrace of insecurity, she fought to look anywhere but towards her family.  


Jack had always been a careful driver. She had driven with him repeatedly on several occasions. To the market to fetch the habitual group of milk, bread, and eggs. To the drug store to pick up prescriptions when a family member had fallen ill. To the gas station to fill up the tank for the week. And even during their constant conventional bickering that took place each time in that vehicle, Jack never once broke his concentration from the road. He was so very careful. Especially with that car. Clu always warned him that if that car was damaged in _any_ way…  


Fi closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the cold glass, hardly able to make out the blob-like figures of the people in the parking lot, running to barely-visible blotches of color that were, indeed, their cars. She was well aware that it had not been Jack's fault. He had never lost control of that vehicle, not once. Some stronger force had been at work…She didn't want to think about it. Her father's spirit had been extracted from his body even before the impact of his crash. To think that the same thing had nearly happened to Jack…Now he was in a coma…  


A soft sob from behind her threw Fi from her reverie. She slowly turned to see Annie Thelen slowly closing the wooden door behind her, the golden number 238 catching the reflection of the blinding hospital lights. A bitter hand grasped Fi's heart as she felt the bubble of sympathy for Annie rise in her chest. Though Annie had never verbally admitted it, Fi had surmised that Annie had feelings for Jack that were far from platonic. She could hardly imagine how hard this was on the petite blond beauty.  


Reluctantly, Fi rose from her seat, feeling compelled to approach and comfort her friend. Annie's eyes were red and puffy from the excess amount of tears that had been dribbling down her face since she had caught wind of the news.  


Fi bit her lower lip, seeing Molly, Ned, Carey, and Irene gathered in a small group, holding each other through their tears, lost within their own world of prayer. She wasn't sure if Clu had received the news yet…Nobody had succeeded in getting a hold of the youngest Bell.  


"How is he?" Fi asked. She hardly recognized her own voice in its husky tone. Her throat felt scratchy from holding back her tears all day, refusing to admit that there was a possibility that she could, indeed, lose her one and only brother. The brother that she had never particularly gotten along with. The brother that constantly teased her for anything and everything she ever did or said. The brother that never believed in the paranormal and never once listened to her explanations.  


But he was _also_ the brother who spent most of the night hunting her down in the woods when she got lost searching for Big Foot. The brother who picked her up and carried her into her grandparents' house after the close brush with death due to the Banshee. The brother who carefully inspected every possible aspect of Ryan Ollman before allowing her to begin dating.  


She loved him. She loved him through all of his flaws, right down into the pit of his soul. The fact was, she had taken him for granted. After suffering the loss of her father, it seemed unrealistic that God could take _another_ love from her life. And now, here she was, standing face-to-face with this unexpected blow of reality, feeling the urge to hold herself and cry until her body was numb, to scream in pain, to take Jack's place.  


And she would in a heart beat. She would trade spots with him. She would be in that hospital bed, right this moment, in his place, if she could; if it meant that he could have a long life ahead of him and be all right.  


"I…I don't know," Annie stuttered, nervously playing with her blond locks in hopes to distract herself from her thoughts. "There were so many machines…But I talked to him like the doctors said to…I think maybe he heard me."  


Fi stared sympathetically into Annie's light eyes, briefly catching the reflection of a black feline. She turned around abruptly to see that there was no trace of any such cat, and, perplexed, turned back to her companion.  


"Have you seen him yet?" Annie asked shakily, lowering her shuddering body into a nearby hospital chair. Fi hesitated, considering the chance of lying, then deciding against such deceit. She shook her head. Annie appeared scandalized. "W-why not?"  


Fi shrugged, feeling no urge to share her reasoning with the girl. The truth was, she was afraid. She did not look forward to entering that hospital room, serenaded only by the morbid beeps of the heart monitor, greeted by Jack's lifeless features. She would positively break down on the spot, no doubt. She knew it was selfish, but simply could not subject herself to such hurt.  


Annie detected the pensive vibe Fi was emitting, and, with a forced polite smile, graciously swept herself towards the group in the corner, respecting Fi's desire to be alone. Jack's sister slowly made her way back to her previous perch, carefully bending into a sitting position, staring out into the dark skies outside. It looked as though it was quite possible that a storm was brewing, both inside the hospital and out. It was the most appropriate weather for the melancholic atmosphere in the building. She dreaded the time in which lightning would strike…  


A hand on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts once more. In surprise, she jumped and turned around to connect gaze with the familiar blue eyes of her and Jack's life-long companion. They stared at each other for a few moments, speaking a million silent words in only a brief amount of time. In his eyes she saw her reflection. Not only physically, but emotionally. As always, he could determine what she was feeling without needing to hear a word.  


It was as though the dam had been broken. Tears began to pour down her cheeks as she began to feel the weight of reality bearing down upon her. Her feelings of misery overtook her and half-consciously she launched herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest to hide her eyes from the malicious world around her.  


And there he held her, whispering random words of comfort in the appropriate places, running his masculine fingers through her dark, curly hair and resting his nose atop her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her shampoo. All their lives he had felt protective of her, just like this, wanting to hold her and form a wall around her that nobody harboring ill wishes toward her could penetrate. Hiding her from the cruelty that surrounded her life, the pain of her father's death, the shelter of growing up on a tour bus. But this…He could not protect her from _this_. He could not take the matter from God's hands and into his own; he had no control over what would next occur in her life.  


After what seemed like a glorious eternity, Fi slowly pulled herself from his arms, feeling slightly ashamed at her abrupt display of heartache. She wiped her eyes hurriedly, hoping that he would play along with her that this had not just happened.  


"Clu…You made it."  


"Of course I made it," he said softly, still holding caringly onto her elbows. "I came as soon as I could."  


Fi was not accustomed to seeing this face of Clu Bell. He was most often the cheery one without a single care in the world. But in his eyes, gazing deeply into the windows of his soul, she could see that he, too, was capable of suffering.  


"How is he?" he asked carefully, lowering himself into a chair and gently pulling Fi down into the one next to him. He waited patiently as she continued to wipe any trace of tears from her eyes.  


"I'm not sure. I haven't gone in yet."  


Unlike Annie, Clu merely nodded, seemingly understanding completely. If there was one person in this world who knew Jack far better than Fiona, it was Clu himself. The boys had grown up together as best friends, with hardly a single quarrel, and could easily write a book on the other. With that, Fi was certain that Clu understood her inability to see Jack in a condition so unlike himself.  


"So," Clu began darkly, shaking a strand of dirty blond hair from his eyes. "How did it happen?"  


With a deep, hesitant breath, Fi began to explain the situation to her friend, careful to leave out the part regarding her father. Despite the fact that Clu usually trusted her word and believed the theories she created, voicing the matter at hand was far too personal for even such a close friend to hear.  


With each word, Clu's eyes grew gloomier, almost like a storm was forming in his soul and was gaining the strength to perish his very being with every gory detail. Suddenly, the usual air of confidence that surrounded him seemed to deflate and subside, leaving his body to go slack and almost limp in his chair, as though all of his spirit and hope had ebbed away. It was a condition that Fi rarely witnessed in the heart of Clu Bell, the comic.  


She quickly had to remind herself that Clu, too, was human.  


"Man, oh, man," Clu murmured, tiredly rubbing his face with his hands. Fi's eyes fluttered shut as she too leaned back against the support of her chair. Without Clu's confidence, she felt that she was a hopeless case. Only the touch of another shuddering hand on hers awoke her from her thoughts. In those few moments of consideration, Clu had built himself another suit of armor. His face now looked set and determined, his eyes boring into hers, his hand clutching hers reassuringly.  


"He's going to be okay, Fi," he decided, his almost naïve hope returning quickly. "Your dad won't let anything happen to him that he isn't ready to face yet. Jack is young and has so much opportunity…He can do anything. And he's the man of your family now…He's part of the glue that holds you guys together. He won't let you down."  


Fi stared at him with a newfound sense of security. Never had he made such a profound speech of certainty. In fact, most automatically assumed by his usual perky personality that he was dimwitted. Far from it. He was extremely intelligent. However, only people like Fi were brave enough to search for it. Clu looked so sure, so positive of his theory that she felt the glimmer of hope returning in her soul.  


They continued to look into one another's eyes, hoping to share the same candle of faith that had been threatening to fade out within both of them. Slowly Fi raised the hand that clasped hers to the edge of her cheekbone, desiring to feel his warm touch of reassurance spread throughout her skin.  


Tentatively, he brought his free hand to her opposite cheek, tracing her jaw line gently with his thumb, tilting her head up gingerly to incline to his own as he began lowering his face towards hers.  


Fi was unable to process any sort of intelligent thought as she witnessed what was taking place, as though she were standing outside her own body. The eyes that she loved to read were coming more into focus with every second as though they harbored a tractor beam, pulling her in like a magnet. And at last, their lips shyly met in an innocent kiss, expressing every unexpected emotion they had felt for one another since the moment they had met.  


The embrace lasted but a few seconds and they parted, sharing a secret gaze of appreciation, a newfound strength residing in each of their bodies. Clu made the first decision with his vigor, standing quickly while keeping his grip on Fiona's hand.  


"Let's go see him. Together."  


"See him?" Fi croaked fearfully, looking towards the door as though it represented the green mile. Clu nodded enthusiastically, his same vibrant grin spreading across his lips.  


"Yeah. Let's go."  


"Clu…I don't think I can…" Fi began, lowering her gaze to the floor in uncertainty. There was a moment of silence before Clu knelt down in front of her, placing his index finger beneath her chin to tilt her eyes into his vision range. He offered her a smile.  


"You trust me, right?"  


Fi nodded, responding without even needing to consider it. "Of course I do."  


He planted a soft kiss on her forehead and then returned his gaze to her eyes. "Then come with me."  


Fi knew that Clu, through all of his craziness and unpredictability, was rarely wrong on occasions such as this. He looked so determined…  


"All right," she consented, allowing him to pull her to her feet. They trekked towards Jack's hospital room, remaining hand-in-hand. Clu slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open, comfortingly pulling Fi along behind him as they approached Jack's bed.  


"Hey, dude," Clu began quietly, lowering himself into the chair at Jack's bedside. He carefully took in all the cuts and bruises cursing Jack's fair features, feeling immediately sympathetic for his life-long best friend. He took a deep breath and continued. "It's me. Clu. And your sister—Fi." He looked at her expectantly.  


"Y-yes, I'm here, Jack. I've been here all night," Fi murmured in agreement. Clu scooted over slightly and patted the empty half of the chair. Gratefully, Fi took her seat beside him, feeling protected by the warmth of his body against the side of her own.  


"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, man," Clu proceeded, as though fighting to think of words of wisdom. "You're the last person on earth who deserves it. You can't leave us, dude. You have to think of your family. Of your mom and your sister. And Annie." Fi exchanged a look with Clu, as though silently questioning him. By the expression on his face, she surmised that he, too, had noticed Annie's affection for Jack. "They need you, Jack. I need you. You're my best friend in the world. Don't abandon us. Keep fighting. You always have, and I know you can. I know you're strong. I know you can get through this. I _know_ you can." Clu's voice was now becoming shaky as he interpreted his own words, putting a brotherly hand on Jack's wrist and gripping uncertainly. "You have to come back," he choked out through gritted teeth. "You hear me, pal? You have responsibilities. You have unfinished business. You can't leave it now without tying up the loose ends. Come back to us."  


What happened next all occurred so very quickly. The rhythm of the heart monitor rapidly sped up and abruptly ceased and flat-lined. Clu pursed his eyelids together in determination, as though trying to will Jack's heart to fight back. Fi felt her breath catch in her throat as an icy hand circled itself around her heart. Just as soon as her blood had turned to ice, however, it melted away and warmed up again inexplicably. A soft, breezy touch formed against her cheek as the beeping sounds returned, a familiar whisper echoing in her ears.  


"It isn't time."  


And for a brief second Fi came face to face once more with the translucent, cloudy apparition of her father's face, gone as soon as it had appeared.  


"Daddy?" she tried to ask, fighting back to tears. However, though her lips formed the words, no sound came out. A groan erupted from the direction of Jack's pillow.  


Abruptly she turned in time to see Jack turn his head slowly and painfully towards Fi and Clu, his eyes opening into tiny slits. The first thing his gaze landed on in focus was his sister who, even through her amazed smile, had tears rushing down her cheeks.  


"Fiona," he rasped. She threw herself at him in the most ginger way possible, hugging him tightly in elation, beginning to sob hysterically. Her brother had been given back to her. Her prayers had been answered without strings attached. And she was even privileged to see the vision of her father once more.  


"Jack, I'm so sorry…I'm so so sorry…"  


With a weak hand, Jack began to stroke his sister's hair, feeling immense exhaustion. "It's not your fault. It never has been."  


Fi pulled away slightly, still careful to keep his hand in hers, as though letting go of him physically meant she could possibly lose him again. Clu and Jack exchanged grins, expressing their gratitude and brotherly connection without the requirement of words.  


The door opened quickly as the rest of the group piled in to witness the miracle for themselves. After all of the celebratory hugs, the commemorative sight of Annie laying a brief kiss on Jack's lips, and the rush of doctors, Fi and Clu found each other at the back of the crowd. Smiling to each other, yet another message was transferred between the two hearts. Nonetheless, Clu hugged Fiona in his arms, lowering his mouth down next to her ear to express the triumph of his correct prediction.  


"I told you it wasn't time."  


These familiar words echoed in Fi's mind, just as her father's had only minutes before. Instinctively, she hugged Clu tighter in agreement.  


"As always, Clu, you were right. You were right."  


**THE END**

**_A/N:_** Please review with questions, comments, or concerns! Hope you enjoyed! 


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